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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27886903">lost in you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/'>Anonymous</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Autumn, F/M, Post-Reveal Pre-Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Post-Reveal Pre-Relationship, Pre-Relationship, Tension, fall - Freeform, lost in a maze together, maze, overuse of hands touching, post-reveal, prpr, they are responsible dorks, theyre in LOVE okay but also, who are just trying their best yknow, you know what we YEARN</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:55:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,023</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27886903</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After their masks have slipped away, Marinette and Adrien get lost in a maze together. Though they know they can't risk their partnership with a romantic relationship, they can't help the pull they feel towards one another.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Anonymous</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>lost in you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the ML Writer Zine! Thank you to the mods for creating an incredible project that we can all be so proud of.</p><p>And special thanks to Pi (@the-picayune) and KryallaOrchid (@kryallaorchid) for reading and providing essential feedback on this piece!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Ladybug and Chat Noir have always communicated in unthinking touches. An arm wrapped around a waist to launch them through the sky, a hand squeezing a shoulder in reassurance and shared strength, a flick on the nose to satiate that magnetic pull, that irresistible tug which binds them together. It’s comfortable—natural. As true to the earth as the moon pulling on the sea.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It’s not until after the curtain drops and the masks fade away that Marinette realizes she never believed those easy touches would stop. With an honest heart, she thought leaving their identities behind would only open the door for more casual affection, for fingerpads to glide like silk before tightening around an elbow and playful shoves of shoulders under the chaos of video game fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But sometimes, she’s afraid to look at him. She’s terrified to see the emotion when their eyes connect and even more afraid to have to watch them snap away. The air between them is always thick and heavy, a shroud of unsaid words blocking them from making contact. It makes Marinette’s heart ache in a way she isn’t entirely comfortable acknowledging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It does not take long for everyone around them to notice. She agrees to spend lunch with Alya and Nino, but she never sits beside Adrien. The four will partner up for class assignments, but when she breaks her pencil, Adrien barely glances up as he passes her a new one. They’re so careful not to touch, so careful not to look, so careful not to hope. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s almost three weeks after their biggest secrets were torn from unyielding lips that Adrien and Marinette are forced together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bathed in the yellow light of an autumn sun, Marinette pretends it’s only a trick of light that gives Adrien an angelic glow as his hand tugs at the hair on the nape of his neck uncomfortably. His shoulders are shrugged and his smile sheepish. She wishes he’d make eye contact with her. She wishes he won’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay, Alya,” Adrien says. “I don’t need to go into the maze. I was just curious.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to go!” Alya’s eyes are fiery and ready to fight. Even Marinette worries for Adrien’s safety when she sees their unwavering determination. “This is one of the best mazes in France, </span>
  <em>
    <span>nay</span>
  </em>
  <span>, the world! You can’t deprive yourself of the opportunity.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But if no one else wants to go—”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Marinette wants to go!” Whipping her head around so fast her glasses start to slip down her nose, Alya smiles victoriously. “Don’t you, Marinette? You were just telling me how much you adore going through mazes once the weather is right. Now’s the perfect time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How thoughtful of you, Alya,” Marinette says through gritted teeth. “You have the best ideas. Can I talk to you for a sec about that incredible brain of yours over there?” She jabs her thumb over her shoulder but doesn’t wait for Alya to agree before she grasps her hand and drags her to an empty spot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Alya asks, peaking over her shoulder at the group of friends they just left behind. “This is going to be fantastic! You’ll get to have some alone time with Adrien, </span>
  <em>
    <span>finally</span>
  </em>
  <span> work out whatever tension is going on between you two, and be disgustingly in love by the end of the night.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Marinette leans her head in to whisper, but the passion behind her words is unmistakable. “We can barely even look at each other!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Trust me, we’ve all noticed. You two have been uneasy and restless around each other for weeks now. You’re wound so tight, any more and you’ll snap.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>All</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“The entire class has noticed at this point. You practically jump out of your seat every time Adrien so much as glances at you, and he’s so hyperaware of you at all times I’m half-convinced he’s psychic ‘cause he’s already handing you a tissue before you’ve even sneezed. You two may not be synchronized, but you’re definitely in sync.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“That doesn’t even make sense!” Marinette wraps her arms around herself, pulling her cardigan tight to her chest. She wants to pretend it’s to fight off the chilling breeze, but Alya knows her better than that. Clothing has always been Marinette’s armor. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alya gives her a long look, gaze piercing and inscrutable. “You two shift together constantly,” she explains slowly, like she’s talking to a child. “It’s not that you’re moving in the exact same way, but it’s like you’re dancing or something. He takes a step forward, you take a step back. You raise your arm, his lowers. It’s like you’re magnets, perfectly opposing so your every move complements the other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette is speechless for a moment, but as her brain starts functioning again, she has enough presence of mind to shake her head. “That doesn’t—that’s not—we barely even </span>
  <em>
    <span>talk</span>
  </em>
  <span>—”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Look, you don’t have to believe me, but I know you. And I know how you feel about him. And anyone with eyes can see how he feels about you, so why are you trying so hard to avoid spending time with him?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Feelings can change,” she says with a helpless shrug.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“But have they?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Marinette avoids Alya’s eyes. The absence of an answer is enough.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“It’s just a maze,” Alya reminds her, brushing a hand down her arm comfortingly. “You’re not going to be locked with him forever.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t put it past you. We already had to hand our phones in at the start of the trip, this sounds like the beginning of a classic Alya-scheme.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand flies to Alya’s chest dramatically. “The audacity!” she gasps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marinette raises an eyebrow and Alya breaks, laughing as she wraps an arm around her friend’s shoulders.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As if Nino would let me.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Are you sure you’re okay with this?” Adrien walks with his hands in his pockets, head down. He barely glances in Marinette’s direction until the sound of her feet crunching over the tangled plants and dirt stops and he realizes she isn’t by his side anymore. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You know I like you, right?” Marinette asks without warning and he trips over his own feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks as though she’s going to reach out a hand to steady him, but more words are tumbling out of her mouth in a flurrying storm and he can barely brace himself for the emotional onslaught. “Not-not like that, I mean, I would never just stop and </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> that to you, of course that would be so lame and not what I meant, I was trying to say that I still like being your </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and I know things have been weird but I don’t want you to think I would ever take your friendship for granted, you mean so much to me—</span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> my friends mean so much to me, not just you—not that you </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>mean more to me than everyone else—”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I like you, too.” He doesn’t even register the words as they puff out of his mouth, swirling between them like the dead leaves picked up by the wind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. Good. Th-that’s, that’s good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we okay?” He takes a step towards her. “It sort of seems like we haven’t been.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stares at him for a moment and it’s like she can see through him. His skin is glass and she’s too jagged to keep him from shattering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course we are,” Marinette says on an exhale. “Of course.” </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>It isn’t until they’ve crossed the same forked path for the fourth time that Marinette finally accepts the reality of their situation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re completely lost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun is no longer high over their heads and a strong breeze curls around their bodies. She watches the bushes surrounding her shiver and tries to hold herself still, lest she suffer through the same dance.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Does this look … a little familiar?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Marinette’s face scrunches in embarrassment at Adrien’s question but she quickly forces a smile as she turns to face him.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I think so.” She rocks back on her heels, nails digging into her palms to prevent her nerves from showing on her face as she takes a deep breath. “We’ve passed this spot before.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He rubs the back of his neck apprehensively. “You don’t happen to remember which direction we turned last time, do you?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She starts to shake her head but when his shoulders immediately droop she tries, “I think we went to the right last time?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Left it is, then.” He pauses for a moment as if internally battling something before offering his arm. It’s an invitation for yet another unnecessary touch and she blushes profusely as her hand gently rests in the crook of his elbow. “Wouldn’t want us getting separated,” he justifies with a small smile, but neither one of them is blind to the truth. “I’d never get out of here without your guidance.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I doubt that,” she laughs but tugs him to the left as they continue onwards.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>For a moment, the only sound is the snaps of leaves and sticks beneath their feet and the merriment of a crowd far outside their high-walled confines. They don’t travel in distance, but in time, and the longer they’re gone, the more it feels like their friends exist in another world entirely.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She’s so lost in remembering to breathe and keeping her balance, Marinette almost misses the soft voice cutting through the ambient noise. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“If it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t even be lost here in the first place.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She stops in her tracks so suddenly Adrien trips over his feet and she has to catch him around his waist to keep him upright. “You’re not serious, are you?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He stares at his shoes.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Adrien, it isn’t your fault we’re lost.” She unwraps her arm from his middle and grabs his hand instead, giving it a light squeeze. “It’s a maze! That’s what’s supposed to happen.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Not this badly, though. We’ve been in here for hours, the sun is setting, our friends are probably annoyed we’re taking so long and—look! You’re shaking!”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He whips off his jacket to drape over her shoulders and she’s too stunned to protest.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“You only came in here because </span>
  <em>
    <span>I </span>
  </em>
  <span>wanted to do this.” His arms fall to his side, smacking against his thighs. “The silly homeschooled kid who’s never gotten the chance to really celebrate the season wants to run through the maze, </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I had no idea what it would be like—no idea how long it would take. I should have known it was a dumb idea when no one else wanted to do it.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Dropping down to the ground with no mind for the dirt surely coating his pants, Adrien closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, tilting his face up towards the sky. Welcoming any last bits of derision the universe can send him. “I’m really sorry, Marinette. You shouldn’t have had to come in here with me just because no one else wanted to.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Marinette looks at him for a moment, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> looks at him. She takes in the bags under his eyes and the small downturn of his lips. The way his shoulders sag and his legs stretch out in front of him, hair blown crazy from the wind and wisping against his forehead. He looks defeated.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She won’t have that.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Crouching down beside him, she nudges his shoulder with her own until he finally opens an eye and squints at her.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Today has been the most unbelievable day,” she tells him, “because not only have I had an incredible time getting lost in a beautiful maze with one of my friends, but I also just witnessed one of the most intelligent people I know say the absolute </span>
  <em>
    <span>dumbest</span>
  </em>
  <span> thing I have ever heard.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His laugh is loud and almost desperate and it startles them both.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Adrien, I’m</span>
  <em>
    <span> glad </span>
  </em>
  <span>we got to spend this time together. Even if it means getting lost for several hours and freezing to death.” She squeezes his jacket tighter around her shoulders, closing her eyes to soak in its comfort.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“It has been nice,” Adrien agrees, reaching out a hand to fix the jacket’s collar. A fingertip brushes against Marinette’s neck and she shivers. “Oh no, you really are freezing out here, aren’t you?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I’m f-fine.” Her stutter is completely unrelated to the breeze cutting through to her bones.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>Adrien frowns. “No, you’re not. We really need to get out of here.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He stands and sweeps his hands down the back of his pants to rid them of dirt before offering a hand out to Marinette and helping her to her feet, almost tugging her into his chest with its intensity. “Have any suggestions?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Well, there’s one surefire way to get us out of here eventually.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>When she doesn’t elaborate, Adrien nudges her lightly. “Gonna keep me in suspense?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>It’s playful and sweet, but even innocently platonic touches send sparks over her skin and she struggles to remember her train of thought.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“We pick a wall and follow it around completely. It’s not the most efficient solution, but it’ll definitely work.” She scrunches her nose. “But I don’t know if we have that kind of time left. It’s getting pretty dark and we have people waiting for us.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“We could try and find someone to ask for help?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“I haven’t seen anyone in here in ages. Do you think we’re the only ones left?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>He shudders. “That’s kind of a terrifying thought. I’m not sure I like the idea of being all alone.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She captures his attention with a gentle hand on his arm. “Not all alone, silly. With me.” His smile is brilliant and she has to look away or she’ll be blinded by the sun. “We’ve got each other. We’ll make it out together.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Okay,” he agrees, nodding slowly. “I believe you.”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>She doesn’t intend to respond, comfortable to let his trust hang between them, bridging the chasm. But when she has a thought and it pops from her lips unable to be contained, she isn’t surprised. “And I believe in you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien’s eyes widen, and his smile drops. It doesn’t fall like an empire, quick and violent, but as a leaf swept away from its tree and fluttering to the ground. She can see the emotions flit across his face, indecipherable but haunting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get out of here,” she finally cuts through the strained silence.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Right. Of course.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They don’t touch as they walk, but charge builds up between them, finally released as a shock of skin against skin when Adrien grabs her hand. He doesn’t look at her, doesn’t acknowledge his clammy palm pressed tightly to her own, but it only accentuates how arduously he clings to a façade of composure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She’s the one who interlaces their fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s heaven and it’s hell, the distracting pattern his thumb draws too gently on her own and the rhythmic swing of the arms linked between their bodies. Her hand is frozen solid and yet she feels like there are flames licking at her fingertips every time he squeezes her tighter. They’ll never get out of this labyrinth without concentrating and they don’t even recognize where they are anymore. She can’t focus and she doesn’t want to. She wants to curl into this moment forever and </span>
  <em>
    <span>for once</span>
  </em>
  <span> experience the freedom of choosing with her heart, consequences be damned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that isn’t going to get them out of the maze. And it isn’t what superheroes do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This isn’t working,” Marinette says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs, “I know,” dropping her hand and looking towards the sky, as if pleading with the universe. His muscles tighten, ready for the pain, ready to run, and the distance between them grows without them moving a centimeter apart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien stops, motionless. Marinette reaches forward to hold his hand in both of hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to be a distraction,” he whispers. “We have a responsibility.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s clear he isn’t talking about the maze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I can’t stop, Marinette.” He doesn’t face her when he speaks and she isn’t sure if she should be grateful. “I can’t—I don’t know how to stop loving you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ladybug and Chat Noir—they can’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien pulls out of her grip and she lets him go, but it feels like ripping off her own arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But maybe …” she continues, “maybe in here, right now, we don’t have to be Ladybug and Chat Noir.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stops walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we’re just two teenagers. Lost in a maze.” The words are drawn from her mouth, slow-moving and over-enunciated. “Lost in each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien turns sharply on his heel and he’s in front of her in an instant, eyes searching for </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She doesn’t know what he’s looking for, but she’s too tired to hide. He knows everything already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He speaks after a small eternity and Marinette has never been more grateful to hear his voice. “How could I ever be lost with you?” His eyes flick down to her lips and back up again and she’s losing her composure one breath at a time. </span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>The air between them sparks with electricity, a magnetic kind of energy drawing them nearer. It isn’t fear that swirls in the pit of Marinette’s stomach, but a restless anxiety. It’s the moments before landing after she leaps off a building, the seconds leading up to a love confession. There’s an unmistakable vulnerability in his eyes—a yearning he can’t mask—and hers flutter shut without warning. When their lips finally meet, it’s the collision of desire and fulfilment, a volcano meeting the sun. Unrestrained tension releases like the snap of a rubber band and then it’s over all too quickly.</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>His nose barely grazes the side of her own as they share breaths, chests rising and falling rapidly. They don’t pull away from each other, the light tracing of fingertips on cheeks and jaws bringing their lips together once again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The touches are so addicting—so all-consuming—Marinette almost misses the words whispered against her mouth.<br/>
<br/>
</span>
  <span>“Wherever you are is where I’m meant to be.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>

  <span></span><br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Fun fact: this was originally not going to have a kiss at the end so you can thank KryallaOrchid for convincing me of its necessity. She was, of course, very right.</p><p>You can find me on Tumblr @jattendschaton</p></blockquote></div></div>
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